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Sunday, June 12, 2016

Action Gator Tire

980 N Semoran Blvd

Casselberry, FL 32707

Story One – You Win Some

When I find a shop that I like, I tend to stick with it. If I am looking for a new one, it’s because I need a specialty service done, the previous shop I went to messed up, or simply somewhere else has a better price. The main reason I go to shops is for an oil change. I don’t like changing my own oil as it takes time I don’t have, and it’s cheaper to do it at a shop.

My reason for stumbling across Action Gator Tire in Casselberry (Florida) was because I needed tires. They were running a sale on Pirelli P4 all season tires, and I was currently driving on dry-rotted, rock hard, cheap-o-matic things that resembled tires. I generally buy cheap everything (as I’m on a budget) and can usually make things last that are not supposed to. Anyway, these tires were about $40 each! How could I say no?

Well, I couldn’t. I went to the shop one morning and asked for the tires. The price I was told was not the price that came up online. That should have been my first flag. The man behind the counter wasn’t aware of the sale, so I had to pull up the ad. After a bit of negotiating, we got the price for four new tires, mounting, and all that to something I could agree to. Negotiation is rare, but they worked with me.

I sat in the lobby and waited. It was what you would expect from an older shop: basic chairs, a little dirty, and so on. Nothing disturbing or anything. It had the expected look and scent.

It really didn’t take that long, and I was on the road.

Story Two – You Lose Some

I always went to the same shop to get my oil changed. However, after my brakes had a catastrophic failure after they touched them last and assured me that they were fine when they started to rattle, I decided to try out Action Gator Tire, since my tire experience went well with them. I looked online and saw that they had a coupon for $19.95.

I called and asked to make an appointment. I was met with a questioning rebuttal stating that they don’t accept appointments. Strange, but okay. I decided I would go in one morning a little bit after they opened. Here is where things get interesting.

First off, I was told that they could not get me in because something broke in the shop, and the technician that would do my oil change was out taking care of that. The man behind the counter said, “This is why we don’t like to allow appointments, so when things happen like this, we don’t let customers down.” While this seems sincere, that leads me to believe this happens more frequently than they would like to admit.

Fair enough though, right? Stuff happens. I asked when I could come back, and they said that a few hours should do it. Not what I wanted, but okay. I decided to inquire about the price of the oil change with the coupon before I left. Good thing I did because the final price (and this is WITH the $19.95 coupon) came out to over $30! What? Well, apparently you have to add on shop fees and things like that. That’s normal and expected, but generally just a couple extra bucks.

At that moment, I walked out to their parking lot, looked up a new shop, and have not been back since.

Bottom Line

This is classic case of “you win some, you lose some”. Their service and price with the tires was really pleasing. Their service, lack of dedication, and obscure pricing regarding oil changes was not. Did I overreact by not coming back? I don’t think so. There are dozens upon dozens of shops begging for business. You mess up on one of my first encounters with you, I’ll simply go to another.

I would recommend these guys for tires in Florida, and their other services may be great, but in a very competitive market (mechanic shops), it’s not hard to find another. They do have plenty of coupons online (that may or may not have your total price be reasonable), and they do run lots of sales on tires. They are a chain, so again, this one is only talking about the one in Casselberry, Florida.

Have you been to this shop? Let me know what you thought about them in the comment section. Thank you for reading, and I hope that I helped!